HOTEL GUEST SHOT DURING ATTEMPTED ROBBERY

San Diego police are looking for a gunman who shot a 46-year-old man at a Mission Valley hotel during a robbery attempt early Wednesday.

Officers were called to the Mission Valley Resort on Hotel Circle South about 5:45 a.m., police said.

The wounded man had just met a woman, and invited her into his room, police said. She let two men inside and they tried to rob him, the victim told officers.

One of the men fired at the victim, wounding him in the right leg, police said. The woman and her companions left in a dark, two-door Honda.

The gunman was described as Latino, about 30 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, thin, with a shaved head. He wore a dark blue jogging suit with a hood. The other man was white, 30 years old, 6 feet tall, 240 pounds and wearing black clothes. The woman was white, about 37, 5 feet 8 inches tall, heavyset, and wearing a dark sweater and jeans.

The victim was taken to a hospital.

Debbi Baker • U-T

Knife-wielding robber takes cash from Arco in Otay Mesa

Otay Mesa

A gas station was robbed early Wednesday by a man who threatened the clerk with a knife, San Diego police said.

The robber walked into the Arco on Del Sol Boulevard about 12:35 a.m. carrying a knife. He demanded cash and the clerk handed him some money, police said.

He was described as Latino, in his early 30s, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt and black jeans.

Pauline Repard • U-T

Pickup crashes after slipping on grease spilled by truck

lakeside

A big-rig tanker carrying restaurant grease spilled some of its load early Wednesday, causing a pickup to crash and a seven-hour closure of El Nopal Road.

The driver for Rust and Sons Trucking near Flinn Springs was on El Nopal when he realized the used grease was sloshing out of an open hatch on his tanker and onto the road, California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings said.

The driver pulled over about 6:30 a.m. near Riverford Road. Behind him, the driver of a Nissan Titan pickup started to slow down for what he thought was a wet road, but the truck skidded out of control and hit a power pole, Pennings said.

The road was closed until after 1:30 p.m. Power lines were moved out of the way. A San Diego Gas & Electric spokeswoman said power will have to be taken out of service when further repairs are completed.

Pauline Repard • U-T

Bank robbery in Point Loma similar to South County heist

San Diego

A man robbed an AmericanWest bank Wednesday in Point Loma, leaving behind a suspicious package that turned out to be harmless.

The robber entered the bank on Rosecrans Street near Fenelon Street about 5 p.m. and demanded cash from a teller, police said.

The robber was described as white, in his 30s, with a thin build and about 5 feet 8 inches tall.